2023–24_NIFL_Championship
2023–24 NIFL Championship
Football league season
The 2023–24 NIFL Championship (known as the Playr-Fit Championship for sponsorship reasons) was the seventh season of the NIFL Championship (the second-tier of the Irish League - the national football league in Northern Ireland) since gaining senior status. The season began on 5 August 2023 and concluded on 26 April 2024.
| Season | 2023–24 |
|---|---|
| Dates | 5 Aug 2023 – 26 Apr 2024 |
| Champions | Portadown |
| Promoted | Portadown |
| Relegated | Dergview Knockbreda |
← 2022–23 2024–25 → | |
The champions (Portadown) were promoted to the 2024–25 NIFL Premiership. The runners-up (Institute) qualified for the NIFL Premiership play-off, losing and remaining in the league. The eleventh-placed team (Dergview) qualified for the NIFL Championship play-off, losing and being relegated to the 2024–25 NIFL Premier Intermediate League alongside the bottom-placed team (Knockbreda).
The league consisted of twelve teams; ten teams remaining from the previous season, one team promoted from the NIFL Premier Intermediate League, and one team relegated from the NIFL Premiership. Bangor were promoted to the league as champions of the 2022–23 NIFL Premier Intermediate League (replacing the second-placed 2023–24 NIFL Championship team Warrenpoint Town, who were relegated after being refused a NIFL Championship license). Portadown were relegated to the league as the bottom-placed team of the 2022–23 NIFL Premiership (replacing the 2022–23 NIFL Championship promoted team Loughgall).
Stadia and locations
| Club | Stadium | Location | Capacity[1] |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annagh United | Tandragee Road | Portadown | 1,250 (100 seated) |
| Ards | Bangor Fuels Arena | Bangor | 1,895 (500 seated) |
| Ballinamallard United | Ferney Park | Ballinamallard | 2,000 (250 seated) |
| Ballyclare Comrades | Dixon Park | Ballyclare | 5,333 |
| Bangor | Clandeboye Park | Bangor | 1,895 (500 seated) |
| Dergview | Darragh Park | Castlederg | 1,200 |
| Dundela | Wilgar Park | Belfast | 2,500 |
| Harland & Wolff Welders | Tillysburn Park | Belfast | 3,000 |
| Institute | Ryan McBride Brandywell Stadium | Derry | 8,200 |
| Knockbreda | Breda Park | Belfast | 1,000 |
| Newington | Solitude | Belfast | 8,000 (3,000 seated) |
| Portadown | Shamrock Park | Portadown | 3,940 (2,765 seated) |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion, qualification or relegation[lower-alpha 1] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Portadown (C, P) | 38 | 22 | 5 | 11 | 74 | 53 | +21 | 71 | Promotion to NIFL Premiership |
| 2 | Institute | 38 | 20 | 9 | 9 | 60 | 43 | +17 | 69 | Qualification for the NIFL Premiership play-off |
| 3 | Bangor | 38 | 20 | 8 | 10 | 77 | 44 | +33 | 68 | |
| 4 | Annagh United | 38 | 20 | 8 | 10 | 61 | 50 | +11 | 68 | |
| 5 | Dundela | 38 | 21 | 4 | 13 | 74 | 60 | +14 | 67 | |
| 6 | Harland & Wolff Welders | 38 | 17 | 5 | 16 | 70 | 63 | +7 | 56 | |
| 7 | Ballyclare Comrades | 38 | 18 | 7 | 13 | 73 | 60 | +13 | 61 | |
| 8 | Newington | 38 | 16 | 4 | 18 | 65 | 68 | −3 | 52 | |
| 9 | Ballinamallard United | 38 | 15 | 6 | 17 | 51 | 51 | 0 | 51 | |
| 10 | Ards | 38 | 9 | 10 | 19 | 60 | 69 | −9 | 37 | |
| 11 | Dergview (R) | 38 | 6 | 9 | 23 | 41 | 79 | −38 | 27 | Qualification for the NIFL Championship play-off |
| 12 | Knockbreda (R) | 38 | 5 | 3 | 30 | 34 | 100 | −66 | 18 | Relegation to NIFL Premier Intermediate League |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored; 4) Head-to-head points; 5) Head-to-head goal difference; 6) Drawing of lots[2]
(C) Champions; (P) Promoted; (R) Relegated
Notes:
Matches 1–33
For matches 1–22, each team plays every other team twice (home and away). For matches 23–33, each team plays every other team for the third time (either at home or away).
| Home \ Away | ANN | ARD | BMD | BCC | BAG | DGV | DUN | HAR | INS | KNB | NEW | POR | ANN | ARD | BMD | BCC | BAG | DGV | DUN | HAR | INS | KNB | NEW | POR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Annagh United | — | 0–0 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 0–4 | 3–0 | 5–2 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 0–3 | 3–1 | — | 2–0 | — | — | — | — | 4–0 | 4–3 | 0–0 | — | 2–0 | 2–2 |
| Ards | 2–3 | — | 2–2 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 4–2 | 4–0 | 1–1 | 2–3 | 1–1 | 1–3 | 1–2 | — | — | 0–1 | — | — | 2–0 | — | 0–1 | 2–2 | 1–2 | — | 1–3 |
| Ballinamallard United | 2–0 | 1–1 | — | 1–0 | 0–3 | 4–2 | 0–0 | 1–2 | 0–1 | 3–0 | 1–2 | 3–0 | 1–0 | — | — | — | 0–4 | — | — | 4–0 | 0–0 | 6–1 | — | 1–2 |
| Ballyclare Comrades | 0–0 | 6–3 | 2–1 | — | 3–2 | 2–2 | 0–1 | 3–1 | 1–3 | 3–0 | 3–0 | 2–1 | 2–2 | 3–0 | 3–1 | — | 2–3 | — | — | 1–4 | — | — | 2–0 | — |
| Bangor | 3–1 | 1–0 | 0–3 | 4–0 | — | 3–0 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 4–1 | 2–1 | 2–2 | 2–1 | 3–1 | — | — | — | — | 3–0 | — | 0–1 | 5–0 | — | — |
| Dergview | 0–1 | 0–3 | 1–0 | 1–3 | 2–1 | — | 0–1 | 0–5 | 2–2 | 5–0 | 2–1 | 2–3 | 0–1 | — | 0–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | — | — | 0–2 | — | — | — | — |
| Dundela | 6–2 | 0–1 | 2–1 | 4–0 | 3–2 | 3–2 | — | 2–1 | 1–2 | 3–1 | 4–2 | 2–0 | — | 4–0 | 1–0 | 1–1 | — | 5–1 | — | — | — | — | — | 1–1 |
| Harland & Wolff Welders | 2–0 | 0–3 | 4–2 | 4–2 | 0–0 | 2–3 | 2–1 | — | 4–1 | 2–1 | 2–2 | 1–0 | — | — | — | — | 1–2 | — | 2–1 | — | 0–1 | 4–1 | 3–1 | 1–2 |
| Institute | 1–3 | 3–2 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 4–0 | 2–0 | 1–2 | 2–1 | — | 2–0 | 1–3 | 1–0 | — | — | — | 3–0 | — | 0–0 | 2–4 | — | — | — | 2–0 | 1–2 |
| Knockbreda | 0–1 | 2–3 | 1–2 | 2–4 | 1–5 | 2–0 | 1–3 | 2–1 | 1–4 | — | 1–3 | 0–2 | 1–4 | — | — | 2–0 | — | 1–2 | 0–1 | — | 0–3 | — | — | — |
| Newington | 3–0 | 4–1 | 1–3 | 1–2 | 2–1 | 3–2 | 3–1 | 0–2 | 2–1 | 2–0 | — | 0–2 | — | 1–0 | 1–2 | — | 1–3 | 3–0 | 1–3 | — | — | 2–2 | — | — |
| Portadown | 4–1 | 4–2 | 2–0 | 2–1 | 0–1 | 4–1 | 1–3 | 5–2 | 1–0 | 3–1 | 5–1 | — | — | — | — | 2–2 | 2–1 | 3–2 | — | — | — | 2–0 | 0–4 | — |
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.
For upcoming matches, an "a" indicates there is an article about the rivalry between the two participants.
Matches 34–38
For the final five matches, the table splits into two halves, with the top six teams forming Section A and the bottom six teams forming Section B. Each team plays every other team in their respective section once. The fixtures are reversed from those played during rounds 23–33, ensuring that teams have played every other team in their respective section twice at home and twice away overall throughout the season.
Section A
| Home \ Away | ANN | BAG | DUN | HAR | INS | POR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Annagh United | — | 0–0 | — | — | — | — |
| Bangor | — | — | — | 3–0 | — | 0–3 |
| Dundela | 0–1 | 1–3 | — | 2–3 | 3–4 | — |
| Harland & Wolff Welders | 1–2 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Institute | 0–2 | 1–1 | — | 2–2 | — | — |
| Portadown | 2–4 | — | 1–1 | 3–1 | 0–1 | — |
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.
For upcoming matches, an "a" indicates there is an article about the rivalry between the two participants.
Section B
| Home \ Away | ARD | BMD | BCC | DGV | KNB | NEW |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ards | — | — | 1–2 | — | — | 1–1 |
| Ballinamallard United | 0–5 | — | 0–4 | 2–0 | — | 3–1 |
| Ballyclare Comrades | — | — | — | 2–1 | 4–0 | — |
| Dergview | 2–2 | — | — | — | 1–1 | 1–1 |
| Knockbreda | 0–3 | 2–0 | — | — | — | 3–4 |
| Newington | — | — | 2–4 | — | — | — |
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.
For upcoming matches, an "a" indicates there is an article about the rivalry between the two participants.
The eleventh-placed club (Dergview) faced the second-placed club from the 2023–24 NIFL Premier Intermediate League (Armagh City) in a two-legged play-off for the final place in the following season's Championship.
First leg
| 30 April 2024 | Armagh City | 1–1 | Dergview | Armagh |
| 20:00 | McConnell  69' |
Walsh 34' |
Stadium: Holm Park |
Second leg
| 3 May 2024 | Dergview | 1–1 (a.e.t.) (2–2 agg.) (4–5 p) | Armagh City | Castlederg |
| 20:00 | Lynch 111' (pen.) |
Mullen 107' |
Stadium: Darragh Park | |
| Penalties | ||||
- "NIFL Championship Venues 2021-2022". Soccerway. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
- "Rules and Regulations". NIFL. Retrieved 3 September 2021.